Rotary engine



1,556,843 c. 1.. KINDER RQ'I -ARY ENGINE Filed Marc h 29; 1923 2sneaks-sheet 1 s INVENTOR. C. L KINDEF? Fig.2 4 qy ATTORNEY.

Oct. 3,1 1,556,843

C. L. KINDER ROTARY ENGINE Filed March 29. 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 J y fi296;

Patented Oct. 13, 1925.

CLOYD LELAND KINDEB, OF DENVER, COLORADO.

ROTARY ENGINE.

Application filed March 29, 1923. Serial No. 628,633.

To all whom it may concern: 7

Be it known that I, CLoYD L. KINDER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Denver, in the county of Denver and State of Colorado, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Rotary Engines, of whichthe following is a specification.

My invention relates to rotary engines and its principal object is toprovide a practical, highly efficient engine of very simple constructionin which movement is imparted to a rotary piston-element by ,theexpansive force of a motive fluid admitted in a space between saidpiston and a normally stationary periodically moving pressure head.

A further object of the invention resides in the provision of a simpleand eflicacious method of lubricating the moving parts of the engine.

With the above and other objects in view my invention consists in theconstruction, arrangement and combinations of parts as will hereinafterbe described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings in the several views of which corresponding parts aresimilarly designated by numerical reference characters,

Figure 1 represents an elevation of my improved rotary engine withoutthe cover which normally closes the crank case thereof;

Figure 2, a vertical section taken on the line 22, Figure 1;

Figure 3, a fragmentary section along the line 3-3, Figure 2;

Figure 4, an enlarged section on the line H, Figure 2;

Figure 5, an elevation of the engine looking in the direction of thearrow A in Figure 2, without the cover which normally closes the pistonchamber of the engine; and

Figure 6, a vertical section taken on the line 6-6, Figure 2.

The engine as shown in the drawings is of duplex and internal combustiontype, having two piston heads which during each revolution arealternately subjected to the impulsive action of an ignited charge ofcombustible fuel. g It is to be understood, however, that the engine maybe provided with one piston head or with more than two piston heads andoperated by a correspondingly decreased or, increased number of impulsesduring each revolution, without departing from its principle ofoperation, and without such changes in the construction and arrangementof its co-operating parts, aswould fall outside the scope of theinvention asherein normally are closed by means of cover plates 7 and 8.

A shaft 9 extending through openings in the covers and the partition, isrotatably supported in bearings 10, and a sleevel2 likewise extendingthrough'the opening of the partition and rotatably fitted on the shaftis provided to connect a pressure element within the piston chamber witha crank movement in the crank case.

The pressure element hereinabove referred to consists of an annular body13 fitted in the circular piston chamber of the casing and having withinits annulus, integral heads 14 which in the operation of the enginefunction as abutments to receive the pressure of the motive fluid actingupon the rotary piston element hereinafter to be described. The pressureelement which is fastoned upon the sleeve 12 by means of keys 15 is openat its side coinciding with the open side of the piston chamber, and itsheads 14 which are sectors of the inner circle of the annular body areformed opposite to each other. i

The piston'element of the engine comprises two piston heads 16 formedintegrally and diametrically opposite on a hub 17 which is fastened uponthe shaft 9 inside the piston chamber.

The piston heads are of sectoral form and fit within the cylindricalbody of the. pressure element between the heads thereof. Packing-strips18 disposed in grooves in the outer arcuate'surfaces of the piston headsengage withthe inner cylindrical surface of the body 13 to preventleakage of motive fluid.

The pressure heads 14 are at their inner ends fitted upon the hub 17 ofthe piston ele- 11161113 and both ends of the heads are equipped withpacking strips 19 engaging respectively with said hub and with the innersurface of the piston chamber.

Both the piston element and the pressure element are furthermoreprovided with packing strips 20 disposed in grooves in their outer facesto engage with the cover plate 7.

The spaces 21 between the piston heads and the pressure heads are inpractice partially or entirely filled with a lubricating fluid and thehub of the piston element and the shaft have connecting ducts 22 and 23which connect said spaces with the interior of the crank case 6 which asusual, contains a supply of lubricating fluid.

The crank movement which in the operation of the engine,'causes thepressure el-e ment to rotate intermittently and at an advanced speed bythe rotary movement of the piston element comprises a longitudinallyslotted arm 24 fastened upon the shaft 9, a shorter crank 25 formed onthe sleeve 12,

a block 26 slidably fitted in the slot of the arm, and a connecting rod27 pivotally attached to the crank and the block. A coiled spring 28disposed in the slot of the arm acts upon the sliding block tofacilitate its outward movement and thereby render the operation of themechanism equable under" all conditions, but I desire it understood thatthe spring is not essential to the eflective operation of the mechanismand may be dispensed with if so desired.

The pivotal connection between the rod and the slideblock is establishedthrough the intermediary of a pin 29 which at its inner end carries ananti-friction roller 30 within an oblong, substantially ellipticaltrack-groove 31 formed in the partition 4 of the casing 2.

The piston chamber has in its circumferential wall an intake port 32which in the operation of the engine by the ignition of a combustiblefuel, is connected with a corn veniently located carburetor, afiring-opening 33 for the application of a spark plug 32 by'which thecharge is ignited, and an elongate exhaust port 35.

The pressure element has in its annular wall, ports 36 and 37 adapted toregister respectively with the intake. port and. the ignitionopening ofthe piston chamber, and opposite ports 38 which in the operation of theengine connect with the exhaust opening of the piston chamber for thedischarge of spent fluid.

' The shaft 9 is as usual provided with a pulley for'the transmission ofits rotary movement and it may carry a fly wheel to assist in securing auniform motion of the pistonelement.

lVith the parts of the engine in the position illustrated in Figures 1and ,5, a charge of motive fluid enters the compression space 39 betweenthe piston and pressure heads at one side of the piston chamber and thecharge previously compressed in the space 40 between the correspondingheads at the opposite side of the chamber is ignited by the spark plugwhich as usual is connected in an electric circuit with a suitabletiming device.

The force of expansion of the ignited charge drives the piston head inthe direction of the arrow B owing to the relatively stationarycondition of the adjacent pressure head which at this period of theoperation, is held by the crank mechanism as will hereinafter bedescribed.

One of the ports 38 in the cylindrical wall of the pressure element ispartially in register with the exhaust slot 35 and when said port isuncovered by the moving piston head the spent gases are discharged fromthe space 40.

During the continued movement of the piston element, the crank mechanismcompels the pressure element to move in the same direction but at arelatively increased velocity through an arc of 180 degrees or until thepressure heads have again assumed their operative position illustratedin the drawings.

During this movement, the charge continuously taken into the space 39during the movement of the piston to the position shown in Figure 6, iscompressed owing to the advance of the pressure head at one end of saidspace toward the piston head at the opposite end of the same and thespace containing its compressed charge is brought in register with theignition opening after which the pressure element is again held againstrotation as before and the piston-element is again impelled by theimpulse of the ignited fuel upon its respective piston head.

It will thus be seen that during each revolution of the piston elementits heads are subjected to two impulses and that accordingly the engineis in this respect the equivalent of a four cylinder reciprocatingengine.

Thepressure element assumes during each revolution two operativepositions during which it is held against rotation for a certain periodwhile the piston element continues its rotary movement.

The position of the crank mechanism which effects the intermittentmovement'of the pressure element, as illustrated in Figure 1,corresponds with the position of the piston element and the pressureelement shown in Figure 5, and the broken line position of the crankmovement likewise shown in Figure 1 corresponds with one of the twopartitions of the rotary elements delineatedin Figureb. I I M During themovement of the crank arm 24 to the position indicated by the broke-nline C in Figure 1, the slide block moves outwardly in the slot thereofthereby causing the connecting rod to move about its pivot on the crankwhile the latter remains stationary. During the continued movement ofthe arm 24, the slide block is forced to move inwardly and the crank 25is rotated until the parts reach the position indicated by the brokenline D, which corresponds with the full line position.

Inasmuch as the crank 25 is compelled to follow the elliptical track 31,its velocity will correspondingly exceed that of the arm 24: with theresult that the pressure element with which the short crank is connectedwill rotate at a greater speed than the piston element on the shaft uponwhich the longer crank is mounted.

During the movement of the cranks from the position D to that shown inbroken lines, the crank 25 is again stationary while the crank 24continues its movement and it will be apparent that in this manner a.continuous movement of the shaft imparted thereto by the impulses of themotive fluid upon the piston element is combined with intermittentmovements of the pressure element at an increased velocity.

The crank case 4 has in. an opening at its top, an apertured screw-plug41 which provides a breathing-opening for the escape of gases from thespaces 21 between the piston heads and pressure heads, to theatmosphere, thereby relieving back pressure which might be created byleakage of the motive fluid.

The ducts 22 and 23 in the hub of the piston element and the shaftmoreover establish a constantly open connection between the reservoir ofthe crank case and the spaces 21 to provide for a circulating movementof a fluid lubricant between them.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent is:

1. In a rotary engine, the combination of a housing defining a circularpiston chamber having in its circular wall an intake port, an exhaustport and an opening containing a. spark plug, the intake port and thesaid opening being disposed diametrically opposite each other, acylindrical member of annular cross-section revolubly mounted within thepiston chamber, said member having two oppositely disposed ports adaptedto alternately register with the said exhaust port and two oppositelydisposed ports adapted to alternately register with the said intake portand the said spark plug opening respectively, a rotary piston comprisinga cylindrical hub portion and two radially oppositely extending pistonvanes, two oppositely disposed resistance heads extending inwardly fromthe cylindrical member into bearing contact with the hub portion, andmechanism disposed WlthOllC the piston chamber and connected between thepiston and the cylindrical member for translating a substantiallyuniform motion of the former into intermittent movements of the latterhaving a rate of velocity greater than that ofthe piston.

2. A rotary engine comprising a casing having aported circular pistonchamber, a piston element having a plurality of piston heads, a pressureelement having a corresponding number of pressure heads, said elementsbeing mounted to rotate in said chamber and adapted to hold a lubricantin alternate spaces between their respective heads, EtllCli means tocause the pressure elements to move periodically at an increasedvelocity during the rotary motion of the piston element.

8. A rotary engine comprising a casing having a ported circular pistonchamber, a piston element having a plurality of piston heads, a pressureelement having a corresponding number of pressure heads, said elementsbeing mounted to rotate in said chamber and adapted to hold a lubricantin alternate spaces between their respective heads, the spaces being incommunication with the atmosphere, and means to cause the pressureelement to move perlodically at an increased velocity during the rotarymotion of the piston element.

4:. A rotary engine comprising a casing having a. ported circular pistonchamber and a lubricant reservoir exteriorly of said chamber, a pistonelement having a plurality of piston heads, a pressure element having acorresponding number of pressure heads, said elements being mounted torotate in the chamber, a shaft for the piston element, passing throughthe reservoir, and having a duct connecting alternate spaces between therespective heads of the elements with the reservoir, and means to causethe pressure element to move periodically at an increased velocityduring the rotary motion of the piston element.

In testimony whereof I have aflixed my signature.

CLOYD LELAND KINDER.

